Escape (1940 film)
- Norma Shearer: Ruby Countess of trek
- Robert Taylor: Mark Preysing
- Conrad Veidt: General Kurt von Kolb
- Alla Nazimova: Emmy Ritter
- Felix Bressart: Fritz Keller
- Philip Dorn: Dr. Berthold Ditten
- Albert Bassermann: Dr. Arthur Henning
- Bonita Granville: Ursula
- Blanche Yurka: Nurse
Escape is an American movie from 1940 with Norma Shearer, Robert Taylor and Conrad Veidt, directed by Mervyn LeRoy. As one of the first large-scale productions, the film paints a critical picture of the political and social conditions in Germany. The film is based on the bestselling novel by Grace Zaring Stone, the veröffentlichtet her work under the pseudonym Ethel Vance.
Action
The actress Emmy Ritter was interned in 1936 in Germany. Through the help of friends she succeeds to send a letter to her son Mark Preysing in America. Mark, with the aid of the Countess of trek find his mother. The Countess is the lover of the influential General of the piston, which they exploited to support Mark in his plan to save Emmy. Disguised as a young girl manages Emmy finally to come out of the country. The Countess of yield declined to accompany Mark and stays out of loyalty to the side of the now terminally ill general.
Background
Norma Shearer agreed after the death of her husband, Irving Thalberg with MGM over a new contract for six films for which the actress should each receive $ 150,000 salary. When choosing the appropriate screenplays Shearer, however, had no lucky hand and she leaned in the next few years a number of roles that were then adopted by Joan Crawford or Greer Garson, including Susan and God, and Mrs. Miniver. The role in Escape, the film adaptation of a popular novel was created rather marginal and Shearer had at the end of scenes less than her co-star Robert Taylor. In 1942, the actress moved to two financial Flops back into private life. The director was initially Alfred Hitchcock offered, however refused. At the end of Mervyn LeRoy took over the implementation of the script. For Alla Nazimova, who was one of the most popular movie stars in 1917 and then appeared in numerous anti-German propaganda films, the film marked the return to the big screen.
Theatrical Release
The cost of production amounted to 1,205,000 U.S. dollars and turned the film an average- expensive production. The film proved at the box office as a moderately successful and he played in the U.S. 1,357,000 U.S. dollars. At comparable foreign income of 1.007 million U.S. dollars, the cumulative total earnings amounted to 2.364 million U.S. dollars. At the end of the studio was able to realize a meager profit of 345,000 U.S. dollars.
Reviews
The critics took the film on benevolent.
Bosley Crowther was in the New York Times, if it were by far the most dramatic and exciting film, which had been previously turned over the dark theme of totalitarianism ( "this is far and away the most dramatic and hair -raising picture yet made on the sinister subject of persecution in a totalitarian country ").